Simpatiċi star Hermann Bonaci spat and punched Facebook critic of his restaurant

The star and producer of the popular televison soap Simpatiċi, Hermann Bonaci, was conditionally discharged by a court yesterday for spiting at and punched the author of a critical Facebook post about his restaurant.

The victim was at lunch with two friends at Bonaci’s restaurant in Iklin in December 2020, two days before New Year’s Eve, when they first complained about the allocated table, then about a soft drink and a cocktail and later also about the food. At the end of the meal, the three friends settled the bill and left.

The day after, the victim posted a message on the restaurant’s Facebook page, complaining about the service and the food.

Bonaci, 57, instead tracked the message author to a Sta Venera charity shop, spat at his face then punched him on the face, whilst hurling verbal abuse.

The victim, a transgender man, was shaken by the unexpected assault, and reported the incident at the police Domestic Violence Unit. Bonaci was prosecuted for causing slight injuries, aggravated by gender violence, insulting the victim as well as the lesser contravention of insults and threats.

In court, Bonaci expressed remorse for his behaviour claiming he had been going through a difficult patch at the time on account of a family illness.

A doctor who examined the victim at the Floriana health centre confirmed that facial injuries were slight and that the patient had high blood pressure at the time.

Magistrate Nadine Lia observed that Bonaci’s behaviour was “condemnable, not appropriate and certainly not normal nor professional when facing work-related criticism.”

But court was convinced that the primary reason Bonaci had sought out the victim was not because of his gender identity but because of the Facebook message, and did not find him guilty of the aggravated charge. The second charge was not sufficiently proven and the third charge was time-barred.

Finding him gulty of causing slight injury, the court considered the accused’s clean record and conditionally discharged him for eight months. Inspector Audrey Micallef prosecuted.